Recent progress in high-throughput technologies and genome wide transcriptome studies have lead to a significant scientific milestone of discovering non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) which spans through a major portion of the genome. These RNAs most often act as riboregulators, and actively participate in the regulation of important cellular functions at the transcriptional and/or post-transcriptional levels rather than simply being an intermediated messenger between DNA and proteins. As the appreciation for the importance of ncRNAs continues to emerge, it is also increasingly clear that these play critical roles in gene regulatory processes during development and differentiation. Further, regulatory RNAs are useful biomarkers for diagnosis of diseases. Hence these RNA regulators are essential to the development of therapeutics. This book on "Regulatory RNAs" offers a comprehensive view on our current understanding of these regulatory RNAs viz. siRNA, miRNA, piRNA, snoRNA, long non-coding RNA, small RNA etc. It addresses both the biogenesis and mechanism of action of regulatory RNAs with a primary focus on their annotation, experimental methodologies (microarray, next-gen sequencing etc.) for their discovery, computational tools for their prediction, and above all, applications of these revolutionary regulatory molecules in understanding biological systems and diseases, including therapeutics. This comprehensive volume is intended for readers with research or teaching interests in ncRNA biology and will provide a major information resource on current research in the fast-moving fields of RNA and gene expression regulation. Cutting-edge and concise, "Regulatory RNAs: Basics, Methods and Applications" promises to support vital research in the field of regulatory RNAs, ever-continuing to grow rapidly and gain increasing importance in basic and translational biology.

The 'RNA world' hypothesis that proposed RNA molecules as the first form of genetic material was put forwarded in the late 1980s but got impetus only recently when high-throughput sequencing technologies began unearthing new types of non-coding RNA (ncRNA) transcripts in higher eukaryotes. Till then, research on ncRNAs were primarily confined to transfer RNAs and, ribosomal RNAs, which act as the messengers of the protein synthesis and allow translation of genetic information encoded by DNA into proteins. In recent years, the integration of high-throughput genomic technologies with molecular biology and omics sciences have revolutionized the fields of ncRNA research by identifying the hidden treasures of several new types of ncRNAs encoded in the genomes of several organisms and decrypting their versatile roles in gene expression and epigenetics. Among these, two small endogenous ncRNAs, namely microRNAs (miRNAs) and piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) that drive argonaute (AGO) family of proteins namely Ago and Piwi respectively and silence the expression of genes have geared up molecular and disease biology research in recent years. Both miRNAs and piRNAs are expressed in higher eukaryotes, including human and act as cellular rheostats by regulating the expression of significant fraction of genes encoded in the genomes. The aberrant expressions of these small ncRNAs within the cells cause various abnormalities and diseases including cancer. Manipulating their aberrant expression or function can serve as potential novel diagnostic/prognostic biomarkers and bring in new therapeutic strategies for multiple human diseases. This can be further translated from bench-side to clinic for improving human health. This book captures the essence of the pioneering work of some of the world's leading researchers showcasing the scientific excitements surrounding the evolving regulatory roles of miRNAs and piRNAs highlighting their potential towards the diagnosis and therapeutics of various diseases. The book is geared towards scientists, students, and will particularly appeal to active investigators in RNA biology, molecular biology, cancer research as well as clinicians and will provide them a comprehensive view of recent discoveries and research progresses to utilize miRNAs, piRNAs and their interacting proteins, Ago and Piwi for diagnosis, prognosis and therapeutics of diseases.

Recent progress in high-throughput technologies and genome wide transcriptome studies have lead to a significant scientific milestone of discovering non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) which spans through a major portion of the genome. These RNAs most often act as riboregulators, and actively participate in the regulation of important cellular functions at the transcriptional and/or post-transcriptional levels rather than simply being an intermediated messenger between DNA and proteins. As the appreciation for the importance of ncRNAs continues to emerge, it is also increasingly clear that these play critical roles in gene regulatory processes during development and differentiation. Further, regulatory RNAs are useful biomarkers for diagnosis of diseases. Hence these RNA regulators are essential to the development of therapeutics. This book on "Regulatory RNAs" offers a comprehensive view on our current understanding of these regulatory RNAs viz. siRNA, miRNA, piRNA, snoRNA, long non-coding RNA, small RNA etc. It addresses both the biogenesis and mechanism of action of regulatory RNAs with a primary focus on their annotation, experimental methodologies (microarray, next-gen sequencing etc.) for their discovery, computational tools for their prediction, and above all, applications of these revolutionary regulatory molecules in understanding biological systems and diseases, including therapeutics. This comprehensive volume is intended for readers with research or teaching interests in ncRNA biology and will provide a major information resource on current research in the fast-moving fields of RNA and gene expression regulation. Cutting-edge and concise, "Regulatory RNAs: Basics, Methods and Applications" promises to support vital research in the field of regulatory RNAs, ever-continuing to grow rapidly and gain increasing importance in basic and translational biology.